John Oliver: Alex Jones Isn’t Just ‘a Loon’ But Also a ‘Skilled Salesman’ (Video)

Alex Jones may be “what ‘Friday Night Lights’ would’ve looked like if they’d given Coach Taylor a nasty PCP habit,” according to John Oliver, but he’s also a lot more than that.

On Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight,” Oliver responded to previous remarks he made about the “InfoWars” host. Jones said on his show that his comments were taken out of context so Oliver promised that they’ll provide as much context as possible.

The segment focuses less on Jones’ alleged beliefs — such as that the Sandy Hook massacre was a government conspiracy — and more on what happens when the audience isn’t paying attention, of when they’re only seeing clips of Jones instead of his actual show.

According to Oliver, “InfoWars” often uses conspiracy theories to peddle products on the show’s website. Jones himself even touts them in between sections of shouting. When looked at in this way, “InfoWars” is less about trying to dismantle “fake news” and more about trying to keep the enterprise afloat enough for Jones to afford a Rolex watch.

In one clip, Jones is advertising an “organic” product that he says isn’t actually organic but made from organic materials such as a material “only found in comets” and in “trace amounts in blueberries.”

Oliver also dug into Dr. Edward Group, a medical expert Jones often has on his show who claims to be an M.I.T. alumnus. Oliver said he’s more like “a fifth year senior from the University of Falling Off a Surfboard.” In a skit at the end, Oliver teams up with Jack McBrayer, who’s doing an impersonation of Group, as a way to sell incredibly expensive John Oliver Tactical Assault Wipes.

In fact, if you go to infowipes.com you’ll be redirected to the HBO store where you can purchase the Tactical Assault Wipe for $1 million. Before you think that a person can just donate that much money to HBO, all net proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders.

“I promised Alex Jones that I would put his statements in context because he is right that if you play small clips in isolation, he looks like a loon,” Oliver said. “But if you play them in context, he looks like a skilled salesman spending hours a day frightening you about problems like refugees spreading disease and selling you an answer.”

Watch the full clip above.

Trump's Relationship to Alex Jones: A Breakdown (Photos)

The recent backlash against Megyn Kelly and NBC for interviewing Alex Jones has renewed the spotlight on the host of conservative show "Info Wars." Kelly said in a statement Tuesday that she wanted to interview Jones because of his ties with President Donald Trump. Here's a breakdown of their relationship.

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Trump and Jones began a relationship on Trump's campaign trail, and have peddled some of the same conspiracy theories, according to Mother Jones. Perhaps Trump's most popular conspiracy theory is that President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States (he was), a theory also perpetuated by Jones.

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In December 2015, Trump was a guest on Jones' show. Jones introduced Trump as "a maverick" who "tells it like it is." Jones opened the show by praising Trump for taking attacks from media outlets like the Washington Post and the New York Post. Jones theorizes that the attacks on 9/11 were a hoax; it was surprising that a Republican candidate would go on a show whose host postures that the previous Republican president was part of such an elaborate hoax.

In February 2016, senior policy advisor to Trump Stephen Miller appeared on "Info Wars," and repeatedly spoke to Jones' audience asking for support. "If you want to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership, if you want to close the border, if you want to protect American jobs and wages, then you have to support Donald J. Trump," Miller said.

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"Hillary for prison" became the rallying cry at the 2016 Republican National Convention. The phrase was initially found on merchandise on the "Info Wars" website. Jones was a "special guest" at the convention.

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Trump continued to parrot Jones' ideas. Last August, Jones said, "It is surreal to talk about issues here on air, and then word-for-word hear Trump say it two days later."

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Also last August, Jones said on his show that he personally talked to Trump and encouraged him to push the idea that the election would be rigged. Trump did end up pushing this idea. "I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged. I have to be honest," Trump said at an Ohio campaign stop.

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In November 2016, Trump's advisor Roger Stone told the Washington Post that Jones would be a "valuable asset" to Trump.

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After the election, Jones said in an "Info Wars" video that Trump called him to thank him. "I wanted to talk to you to thank your audience," Jones said the then-president-elect told him.

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Even Hillary Clinton weighed in on Trump's reliance on Jones for ideas throughout the campaign, and released an attack ad featuring Jones. "This is what Trump listens to," says the ad as Jones talks about chemicals put in the water to make people gay.

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Jones' website is full of references to "presstitutes," and discredits news organizations like NPR and CNN. Trump is known for discrediting several news organizations. For example, in February he called the media "the enemy."

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POTUS calls conspiracy theorist profiled by Megyn Kelly “a nice guy”

The recent backlash against Megyn Kelly and NBC for interviewing Alex Jones has renewed the spotlight on the host of conservative show "Info Wars." Kelly said in a statement Tuesday that she wanted to interview Jones because of his ties with President Donald Trump. Here's a breakdown of their relationship.